Mail-bag



(NoModeL) E. B. YOUNG & P. E. PPOOL.

MAIL BAG.

No. 318,676. Patented May 26,v 1885.

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iUNTTnn STATES PATENT @rrrcis.

ED'WABD B. YOUNG AND FRANK E. PPOOL, OF MANSFIELD,

MISSOURI.

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFISATION f rming part of Letters Patent No. 318,676, dated May 26, 1385.

Application filed December 31, 1884. (X0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD B. YOUNG and FRANK E. PPooL, both of Mansfield, in the county of Wright and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved MailBag Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of our invention is to provide a new and improved mail-bag fastener, by means of which the mail can be closed and locked safely in a very short time.

The invention consists in the combination, with the bag, of a frame formed of four hinged bars, of which two are provided with hookprongs, and the others with spring-latches, which are also connected with a staple, in which the lock for locking the bag is held, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the fastening closed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same open. Fig. 3 is an outside view of one middle joint and showing the latches, and Fig. 4 is an outside view of the opposite joint.

Two bars, A, and two bars, B, are hinged to each other, and the outer ends of the bars A are hinged to short arms 0 on the ends of the bars B, thus adapting the bars Ato be folded snugly against the bars B. The upper end of the bag D is secured to the inner faces of the bars B a short distance from the edge of the bag, thereby forming a flap, D. The bag is not secured to the bars A.

From the inner edge of each bar B a hookprong, E, projects at or near the middle, the prongs of the hooks projecting toward each other. A staple, F, is pivoted to the inner ends of the bars A and projects from the outer and inner surfaces, and is adapted to slide transversely to the said bars. On the outer end of the staple F an elongated handle-ring, G, is secured, to which two spring latches or strips, H, are fastened, the outer ends of which rest upon the outer edges of the bars A adj acent to slots J, through which hook-prongs E project, the free ends of the said strips being held on the bars A by staples K in the said bars A. Pins L, projecting from the outer surfaces of the strips H at the free ends, prevent withdrawing the strips entirely from the staples K. The flap D is provided with two apertures, a, for the hook-prongs E, and with an aperture or slot, 1), for the staple F. The upper part of the bag D, opposite the flap I), is provided with a slot, g, for the staple F, and two slots, h, for the hook-prongs E.

To close the bag the free upper part of the bag is folded against the inner edges of the bars B, the hook-prongs E passing through the apertures 71, and then the flap D is folded over on the inner sides of the bars B and over the upper part of the bag that has just been placed against the bars B, the hook-prongs E passing through the apertures a. The flap D thus covers the mouth of the bag. The bars A are then swung against the bars B, the hookprongs E passing through the slots h J and catching on the free ends of the latches H, and the staple F passing through the slots 9 and Z), and through a slot, m, at the joint of the bars B to the front of the bars B. The padlock M is then secured on the staple F, outside of the bars B, and holds all parts together. hen the bag is to be opened, the bars A are swung from the bars B, the staple F is passed through the slot and the shackle of the padlock is passed through the staple, as shown in Fig. 2, thus holding the free part of the bag to the bars A at the joint.

\Ve are aware that afraine for the mouth of a mail-bag composed of four hinged bars is not broadly new, and therefore we do not claim such invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the bag D, of the hinged bars A A B B, the staple F, held at the joint of the bars A, the latches H, connected with the staple F, and the hook-prongs E on the bars B, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with the bag D, of the hinged bars A AB B, the staple F, the latches H, having pins L, the staples K, and the hook-prongs E, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, with the hinged bars IO two bars A B, of the bag D, secured to the bars B a short distance from its upper edge, to form the flap D, the other two bars A being disconnected from the bag, and adapted to fold on substantially as the flap in closing the bag, herein shown and described.

4. The combination, with a frame formed of four burs hinged together, of a bag secured to two bars, a staple held in the joints of the opposite those to which the bag is secured, springstrips connected with the staple, and hook-prongs projecting from the bars to which the bag is secured, substantially as herein shown and described.

EDWARD B. YOUNG. FRANK E. PPOOL.

Witnesses:

NOAH N. NIoHoLs, J. O. SPENoE. 

